Haggai 2:4b: “Be strong all you people of the land, saith the Lord, and work for I am with you saith the Lord of Host.”

“Work is love made visible, and if you cannot work with love only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms from those who work with joy.”  – Kahlil Gibran

I remember when my Uncle Otto retired. He purchased a small farm and worked that farm from dawn to dusk.  Someone commented to Aunt Ruth as to why Otto wasn’t just relaxing now that he was retired.  Aunt Ruth looked out the window and saw Uncle Otto working away in the field in the hot sun with sweat pouring off his back and she said; “He is.”

Haggai was a prophet to the people who had returned to Jerusalem from captivity under the Persian King Cyrus and were preparing to rebuild the temple.  God told them to get to work because he was with them. There is nothing odd about that statement in modern English.  Obviously when God said to get to work He was referring to the building of the temple. God did not tell the people to labor, to stay busy, or even build the temple because when He said : “I am with you” He was with them to work – ashah. Every English translation renders ashah as work. When we think of work, we think of toil, sweat, labor, etc. Yet to say: ashah or work “I am with you” in Hebrew is suggesting something a bit different.“I am with you.” is ani itikem.

I am in my new apartment and my looking glass is right over to my side.  I figured it was about time I passed through my Looking Glass into Hebrew Esoteric land from my new digs.  Hollywood just released a file of Alice’s adventures through the Looking Glass so I suppose this study is upstaged.  Although not quite the adventure of Alice, I will share with you my adventure beyond the Looking Glass.

As I am anxious to understand what this word  ashah (work) means I leave my desk and pass through my looking glass and there to greet me in Hebrew Esoteric land is none other than Ashah themselves (Ayin, Shin, and Hei). They were dressed in blue jeans and hard hat glaring at me and wondering why I had to bother them as they were busy. “Busy doing what?” I asked.  They simply replied: “Working.” “Working at what?” I questioned. “Ayin, Shin and Hei looked at each other, scratched their heads and said:  “Not sure.” Suddenly I heard some singing: “Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to work we go, we dig up diamonds by the score, a thousand rubies sometimes more, we don’t know what we dig them for, we dig, dig dig.”  I look up and see seven Hebrew letters marching out of Haggai 2:4 from my Hebrew Bible and cross through my Looking Glass. They are the letters Aleph, Nun Yod,  Aleph, Taw, Kap and Mem (I am with you) and all were carrying picks and shovels.

I look at Ashah and ask: “Where are they going and why do they question the reason for digging up diamond and rubies? I mean it is obvious that these jewels are worth a fortune.  Ashah replied by saying: “ Don’t know, let’s follow them and see.” “If you don’t mind,” I responded, “I think I will sit this one out. Going into a mine was not my idea when I came through my Looking Glass.”  “Ok” said “Ashah but if some cosmetically challenged woman comes around offering you an apple, don’t eat it.”   “Uh, on second thought, I’m right behind you,” I told Ashah.

We marched behind the seven letters representing I am with you and entered a mining shaft. “I knew I moaned, there will be a cave in and we will all suffocate?”  Quiet said Ashah, Hebrew letters don’t suffocate.”  “Hebrew teachers do.”  I retorted.  However, once in the mine I saw Ayin Shin and Hei (work) join the other seven Hebrew letters (I am with you) and together they started mining huge diamonds and rubies. They encouraged me to join them but I said if I tried to sell even one of those diamonds or rubies for currency I would be questioned as to where I found such gems of such size and when I tell them, they will put me in a place where they put people who say they follow Hebrew letters through a mirror into a fantasy world.

I sat back and watch these Hebrew letters work Ashah all day in the mine until they had a substantial pile of diamonds and rubies dug up.  After finishing for the day they all sat around admiring their work. I asked them what they were going to do with all their diamonds and rubies and they looked at me blankly.  The Ayin spoke for the group and said they really have no need for diamonds and rubies in their world. In shock I said: “You mean to tell me you worked all day digging for diamonds and rubies but they have no value to you?” I turn to Ashah (work) and scolded them: “What kind of an Ashah are you anyways?  You could have spent this time building houses, bridges, planting crops, or any number of things to better yourselves, instead you waste all your time digging up diamonds and rubies that are worthless in your world.”  Ashah simply shrugged their shoulders and said: “We just spell the word work, we do not specify what kind of work.  We are under contract to Ani Ithikem (I am with you).” Then Ayin from Ashah said: “I, as Ayin, am employed to insure that no work that is undertaken is not taken without my first giving the task deep discernment.”  Shin explained that he provides the fiery passion to the work. Finally the Hei insureds the work of God does not move forward without his presence or breath.

“Ok,” I say: “Ashah merely means work that commences only after deep spiritual insight (Ayin), and performed with a fiery passion (Shin) and under the power of breath of God (Hei). But what is the nature of the work?

I turn toward Ani (Aleph and Nun which means I) and they just shrugged and said:  “Don’t look at us. Aleph only represents God and Nun here represents faith. We simply approach the task with faith in God.  Check out with you they know why we spend all day digging for worthless jewels. I look at the Kap and Mem of Ithikem and they respond: “Don’t ask us (Kap and Mem) we’re just the prepositions.  Check out the word with (Alep, Taw).  I look at Aleph Taw and ask: “Why are you making everyone work for something that has no earthly value?” With that Alep Taw instructed us all to step outside and when we did Alep and Taw joined hands and sudden they spread from left to right as far as the eye could see and just quickly returned.  The Alep said I am the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and Taw is the last letter. Together we represent eternity.   In Haggai 2:4 when you have the combination of the words “work for I am with you” in Hebrew that is saying that when God is with you, you are working for eternal values not earthly temporary values. The building of the temple in Haggai was work for an eternal value. Those diamonds and gems that we just dug up may have no present value but they do have eternal value.”

As I made my way back to through the Looking Glass I thought of the people of Israel. Their first task upon return from exile was not to build their earthly homes but to build the house of God because God was with them. They built the house that gave eternal value. I thought of all the works I have been doing, asking God to be with me, and yet I could not see any earthly result. Still I labored on because I felt God called me to do the work. For if God is with me my focus would be on eternal values not earthly values.  I may see an earthly result but that is not what is important. What is important is that whatever I do with God at my side, it will have eternal value.